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Coming October 14, 2025. Pre-order today!Just in CaseSaving Seeds in the Svalbard Global Seed VaultBy: Megan Clendenan / Illustrated by: Brittany CiccheseThere's treasure buried deep in a mountain at the top of the world.On the Arctic island of Spitsbergen
By: Megan Clendenan / Illustrated by: Brittany Cicchese
On the Arctic island of Spitsbergen in Norway, polar bears roam and there are no gardens, forests, or fields. But buried deep underground, the Svalbard Seed Bank protects more than 580 million seeds with plenty of room for more.
How and why was the vault built? What’s it like inside? How does the vault protect the seeds? Learn all about how we safeguard the greatest treasure on earthseeds for our food.
An inside look into the storage and history of one of our most important natural resources and how this collection can save our future.
If you like this book, youll enjoy these:
How to Explain Climate Science to a Grown-Up
Bear Helps the Forest (Maybe You Help, Too!)
Earth Hour
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Megan Clendenan, author
Megan Clendenan studied sociology, English, and environmental planning and has worked for nonprofit organizations focused on environmental law, womens empowerment, mental health, and urban food security. As a childrens book author, she loves writing nonfiction that explores the connections between history, society, and the environment. She is the author of Design Like Nature: Biomimicry for a Healthy Planet, Fresh Air, Clean Water: Our Right to a Healthy Environment, and Cities: How Humans Live Together. She lives near Vancouver, British Columbia, with her family and two fuzzy orange cats. This is her first picture book.
Read more about Megan.
Brittany Cicchese, illustrator
Brittany Cicchese enjoys capturing emotion above all else, from expressive portraits to moody illustrations. She is the illustrator of The Kitten Story: A Mostly True Tale and No More Seora Mim. When Brittany isn’t sketching or writing, you can find her working at the library, reading a good fantasy or sci-fi book, or hiking around the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Brittany lives in Denver, Colorado.
Read more about Brittany.
Kirkus Reviews
In Svalbard, Norway, lies buried treasure.
Worries about climate change, war, and extinction led to the construction of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Here, on an Arctic island, in the belly of a mountain, duplicates from seed banks around the world are stored, preserved for the future, should the need for them arise. Clendenan carefully outlines the purpose and creation of this protected collection. Her relatively simple text is accompanied by sidebars offering more detail on the challenges of transporting seeds, the difficulty of constructing the vault (workers had to be vigilant for roaming polar bears), and more. Cicceses appealing illustrations signal the Arctic cold with shades of blue; a diverse workforce is bundled up against the frigid temperatures. In scenes depicting warmer climates, reds, greens, and browns abound as an equally diverse set of humans collect seeds, plant them, and enjoy the crops. Clendenan stresses that this is a truly international project: Inside the vault, a walk down the aisles becomes a walk through the world. Younger readers may not entirely understand the need for the collection but will surely be engaged by the process; construction enthusiasts will especially appreciate the spreads focusing on the machines from around the world brought to this isolated place to bore into the mountain. Even the seed packets are designed to be nearly indestructible.
A fascinating tale of conservation at its most creative.
Publishers Weekly
The critical importance of seed-saving is the focal point of this interesting picture book profile of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault and the priceless treasure it protects. Outlining the development of the remote vault, from planning and construction to the logistics of making seed deposits, early narration carefully balances context (Seeds are…/ history./ And they are the future) and utility (Seeds need a safe,/ just in case), while inset boxes provide facts. Ciccheses digital artwork takes the blended appearance of oil pastels across documentary-style scenes (of a family growing produce, a construction crew toiling). Clendenans tone turns wonder-filled as text concludes with recognition of the global service Svalbard provides for you, for me,/ for everybody. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Back matter includes an authors note.
Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-62354-480-5
Ages: 68
Page count: 32
11 x 9
Publication date: October 14, 2025
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